Russia Plays Double Game in Afghanistan

 

"Moscow does not want to seem as a supporter of the Taliban," said Kabul-based security analyst Wahid Muzhda. "It has good ties with Kabul, too. Its contacts with the Taliban do not mean that it is against the Afghanistan government."

 

Pakistan's English-language newspaper The Nation reported in December that Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour held a secret meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss possible Russian support in the Taliban's fight against IS.

 

VOA could not confirm the authenticity of the report. The Taliban said in a statement that it does "not see a need for receiving aid from anyone concerning so-called Daesh" - the Arabic acronym for IS.

 

But, according to analysts, Russia sees Taliban help as essential in fighting the spillover effects of the IS insurgency in Afghanistan.

http://www.voanews.com/content/analysts-russia-plays-double-game-afghanistan/3290978.html